Foundation garment



Jan., 3, 1950 J. LEONARD Er Al.

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Sept, 20, 1948 2 Shee'ts-Sheet l Patented Jan.3, 1,950

FOUNDATION GARMEN T .leseph Leonard and Hulda M. Ihsen, Allentown,

Pa., assignors to Charis Corporation, acorporation of New YorkApplication September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,026

2- Claims.

This invention relates to.V improvements` in the construction ofrfoundation garments.

Broadly speaking the structureof this invention consists essentiallyinpositioning in a particular configuration a plurality of elastictriangular gore members in a foundation garment having an inelasticAfront panel member, an inelastic back panelmember and twoinelastic sidevpanel members. 'l'wov ofthel elastic triangular gore members arelinserted in the back panel member with the bases of such gore members atthe top of the panel member and with their respective apices extendingdownwardlyv to intermediate points in` the back panel member. These goremembersr are separated from` each other by a sectionv of inelasticmaterial and are disposed so that they form a mirror image of each otherwith respect to acen-ter` line running vertically through theinelastic.section between them. An additional elastic triangular gore member isinserted in each side panel. member with the base of each such gore.member at the bottom of the side panel member and with the apex of eachextending upwardly and terminating at an intermediate point in each sidepanel member. In this construction the apices extending downwardly andthe apices extending upwardly overlap each other.

The elastic gore members inthe top panel member are extensible atanangl'e relative to the vertical axis of the garment: and in adirection such that the linesr oivextensibility tend to converge withinthe garment. On the other hand, the elastic gorev members in the sidepanels are extensible substantially horizontally but since the garmentis ordinarilyV cut on the bias the lines of extensibility of. such goremembers tend to converge just outside the-periphery of the lower portionof the.V garment. The elastic gore members` in the'side panels areseparated from each other and from the elastic gore members in the backpanel member by portions of inelastic material.

This construction gives` quite extraordinary properties to thefoundation garment. The elastic gore members are positioned relative toeach other and in relation to the garment as a whole so that there is nocontinuous line of elasticity extending either vertically from the topof: the garment to the bottom or horizontally from the back to thefront. In consequence the garment may be exed in areas adjacent. theelastic gore members in the direction of elasticity of such members butcannot be extended 'in its entirety or in other directions. Withf'such aconstruction the garment as a whole. possesses fa large degree ofrigidity so that it controls the iigure at the vital points of theabdomen, hips, and buttocks and at the same time embodies suflicientexibility in local areas to accommodate the changing lines anddimensions of the, body in movement. The result is that the garmenttends to move with the body and simultaneously maintains the samerelative position on the body and in this way minimizes any tendencytowards displacement of the garment on the body or whatY is commonlyknown as riding up.

As is known, the dimensions of portions of the body change as the bodyassumes different postures. For example, in changing from a standing toa sitting position the body line in the back between the Waist and thethighs across the buttocks becomes substantially longer while theabdominal section of the body becomes shorter, giving rise to aItendency to crowd the flesh toward the waist and the diaphragml in theab dominal section. The elastic gores in the construction of thisinvention are positioned in such manner that the foundation garmentaccommodates itself to these changes in the dimensions of the body.Specifically, the two elastic gore members in the top back panel membersare placed so that the lines of extensibility of the gores follow thedownward pull resulting from the lengthening of the body line when asitting position is assumed. This can-be seen graphically by comparingthe position of these gore'members relative to the xed horizontal lineindicative or" the waist line in Figs. 3 and 4-of the drawing.

The two elastic gore members in the side panel members provide sulicientflexibility to take care of the expansion of the dimensions of thethighs and lower hips in a sitting position. Similarly, the elastic goremembers at the top back panel take care of the expansion of the waistand diaphragm in addition to following the downward pull resulting `fromthe lengthening of the body in asitting position.

In the accompanying drawings I show this construction as applied totypical foundation garments: Fig. 1* is a plan view of a foundationgarment embodying the gore members in the construction of thisinvention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a similar structure but shown asapplied to a foundation garmentr embodying a lacingcontrol feature; Fig.3 is a side elevation showing the garment of Fig. 2 in position on thebody 'in a standing position; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing thegarment' in` Fig; 2 on the body in a sitting position.

In Fig. `1 and Fig. 2 the garment. 'la is shown with a front panelmember H; The back panel membei1 fconsists of* sections i3; i4 and l5and intermediate "between 'the front panel 'member tiguous with eachother.

and the back panel member are side panel sections I'I and I9 at one sideand I6 and I8 at the other side. Garter support members I2 and 20 may beattached to the base of the garment as shown.

The elastic triangular gore members at the top of the back panel memberare shown at 3-5 2,493,722 ff '.12 j A and 36 with inelastic sectionsI3, I4 and I5 interc posed between them. It should be noted thatinelastic section I4 runs vertically from the top to the bottom of thegarment between the elastic gore members and 35. The elastic triangulargore members in the side panel members are shown at 31 and 38 withinelastic sections I6 and Il interposed between the elastic gore members35 and 3l and 3S and 38 respectively. In such case the inelasticsections I6 and I'I extend vertically from the top of the garment to thebottom. The elastic gore members 31 and 38 are separated from each otheron the other side by inelastic front panel member I I and the inelasticYside sections I8 and I9 which similarly extend from the top of thegarment to the bottom.Y As shown, the apices of the elastic gore membersoverlap each other in oppositely'extending directions.

The elastic goremembers are shaded to show the direction of theirextensibility. Gore members 31 and 38 extend horizontally and goremembers Y35 and 36 extend at a positive angle to the vertical line ofthe foundation garment and in a manner such that their respective linesof extensibility tend to converge within the garment.

The upper gores are separated from each other, as are the lower gores.Moreover, the upper gores are separated from the lower gores so thatthere is no continuous line of elasticity extend- Ving from the top ofthe garment to the bottom or extending from the back of the garment tothe front. lIfhe elastic areas are interrupted in the sense that theyare spaced local areas.

Although none of the elastic gores is contiguous with another gore, theinelastic sections are con- For example, section I6 is contiguous withsection I8 and lsection I3 is contiguous with section I3. Sections I3,I4 and I5 are contiguous with each other and section I5 is contiguouswith section I'I. Section I1 is also contiguous with section I9.Accordingly, a sinusoidal line may be drawn across the foundationgarment from one inelastic section to another Without crossing anelastic gore and accordingly the foundation garment as a whole cannot bestretched simply by reason of the Ipresence of elastic inserts therein.

Similarly, inelastic sections II, I4, IB, Il, I8Y

and I9 extendvirom the base of the garment to the top without -crossingany of the elastic inserts. Accordingly, the length, or height, of thegarment is inextensible rby reason of the presence of elastic insertstherein.

In the Vstructure shown in the drawing the elastic gores have ageometrically triangular configuration. However, this is not absolutelynecessary so long as the gores have a wide base and taper substantiallyto overlapping points within the garment.

Y What I claim is:

1. A foundation garment of the character described comprising aninelastic front panel mem- Iber, an inelastic back panel member, andinelastic side panel members, at least two elastic gore members insertedin the back panel member with the bases of such gore members at the topof the Vpanel member and with their sides tapering substantially to apoint within the garment, such gore members being separated from eachother by a section of inelastic material and such gore members beingdisposed so that they form a mirror image of each other with respect toa, center line running vertically through the inelastic section betweenthem, an elastic gore member inserted in each side panel member with thebase of each such gore member-at the bottom of the side panel member andwith the sides of such gore member Vtapering substantially to a pointlwithin the garment, Athe narrowest portion of such gore memberoverlapping the narrowest portions of the gore members in the back panelmember, the goremembers in the side panels being separated from eachother :and from the gore members in the back panel member by portions ofinelastic material, said gore members in the'side panels beingextensible horizontally but not vertically, and the elastic gore membersin the top back panel member being extensible =at a positive anglerelative to 'the vertical -axis of the garment and in a direction suchthat the lines of extensibility ccnverge within the garment.

2. A foundation garment of the character described comprising aninelastic front panel member, an inelastic back panel member, andinelastic side panel members, at least two elastic triangular goremembers inserted in the back panel member with the bases of suchgoremembers at the top of the panel member and with their respective apicesextending downwardly to intermediate points in the back panel member,said goremembers being separated from each other by a section ofinelastic material Vand .being disclosed so that they form a mirrorimage of each other with respect to a center line running verticallythrough the inelastic section between them, an elastic triangular goremember inserted in each side panel member with the base of each suchgore member at the bottom of the side panel member and with the apex ofeach extending upwardly and terminating at an intermediate point in eachside panel member, said apices overlapping the apices of the goremembers extending downwardly in the back panel member, the elastic goremembers in the side -panel-s being Separated from each other and fromthe elastic gore member in the back -panel member by portions ofinelastic material running from the top of the garment to the bottom ofthe garment, the elastic gore members in the side panels beingextensible horizontally but not ver-v tically, and the elasticgoremembers in the top .back panel member being extensible at a positiveangle relative to the vertical axis of the garment and in a directionsuch that the lines of extensibility converge Within the garment.

ilerof patent: Y

JOSEPH LEONARD. HULDA 4 M. IHsEN.

nersiniriolisV CITED f The following references arerof record in theUNITED STATES VPATENTS 109,698 Y Australia.V

Feb. 8,1940

